A critical study of the life and activities of M.K.Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose. Gandhi is known as father of Nation, Subhas as father of Indian Revolution and Jawaharlal may be said as "a Bridge between the Two".

Friday, June 26, 2015

Armed revolution by Subhas Bose (contd-9)- The Azad Hind Radio

The Free India Centre constituted with 1. Indian Legion and the Azad Hind Centre, organised in Nov. 1941. Except for some technical knowledge, the broadcasting programme , the Azad Hind Radio was completely manned by Indians.
The Govt. of Germany planned and decided , earlier in 1940, to organise an Indian Legion to be employed in the disturbed areas of NWFP of India. By Dec. 1942, the Indian Legion grew up to the size of a regiment with four battalions of about 4000 men.The political talks were prepared by Indians under the guidance of Bose and were exclusively on Indian subjects . The programme was transmitted on a "special independent wavlength and was on no account to be mixed up with any German broadcasting programme."
The texts written by the Indians were never supposed were never supposed to be censored . But Queling , who worked as a scientific assistant gives a version contrary to that given by Ganpuley. In the meantime , thee army was notching up success in the War. As the War intensified in the Far east so did the programmes of the Azad Hind Radio. In the beginning the programme led the German authorities to give three hours time to the Free India Centre on the transmission line for its Indian Programme. The German representative in Kabul reported that the broadcasts from the Azad Hind Radio were very popular in India and they were eagerly listened to by the people of all shades of political opinion. His message to the Indian Independence league was a source of great inspiration to all those who were working in South East Asia for the freedom of India.

Azad Hind Radio was a propaganda radio service that was started under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in Germany in 1942 to encourage Indians to fight for freedom. Though initially based in Germany, its headquarters was shifted to Singapore and later to Rangoon following the course of the war in South East Asia. Following Netaji's departure to South East Asia, the German operations were continued by A.C.N. Nambiar, the head of the Indian Legion in Germany and later Ambassador of the Arzi Hukumate Azad Hind in Germany.
The centre had started, in fact , wth only a handful of Indian workers , among whom were Mr.Habibur Rahman, Mr.N.G.Ganpuley, Mr.N.G.Swamy, and Mr. M.R.Byas.

Azad Hind Radio aimed to counter the broadcasts of Allied radio stations. On Azad Hind Radio, Netaji referred theBritish Broadcasting Corporation as the Bluff and Bluster Corporation and the All India Radio as the Anti Indian Radio.
Ganpuley said, "There was to b no censorship from any kind from German side and there was to be no dictation about subjects to be selected .....This arrangement was strictly adhered to , without a days break, till the end of the war."Japanese occupation of Singapore on February ,1942, provided the opportunity to Bose to come out openly to address the Indian people on 19th February.
As the war intensified in the far east so did the programmes of the Azad Hind Radio.
at this unexpected success of the Japanese army in the war the British government tried to appease Indians, and sir Stafford Cripps who was regarded "as the right man for the right job".was sent to India in March 1942, for carrying out negotiations with the Indian leaders .
Bose went on the radio on the 11th March "to attack the British policy of deception and warn the Indian people "
The following activities were undertaken and co-ordinated from the centre :
1. Editing of all the broadcasts of 'Azad Hind Radio' and the 'Azad Muslim Radio' and the 'National Congress Radio.'
2. Assessment of German news materials for Radio broadcasts ;
3. Editing the periodical Azad Hind which appeared regularly and had a circulation of 5,000 copies.
4. Looking after the entire community in Germany;
5. Co-ordination of activities of all the branches of the Free India Centre outside Germany , i.e., in France and Italy;
6. Creating a centre of co-ordination with the massive organisation of overseas Indians in South-East Asia ( This work acquired special significance after the declaration of Premier General Tojo of 16 Feb 1942, offering Japanese support to the Indian Independence movement.